ABSTRACT
The application of nanotechnology in biology and medicine led the appearance of new devices, supramolecular systems, structures, complexes and composites. An excellent example of nanotechnological composites are dendrimers (from Greek “dendron”– tree, and “meros”– branch). Dendrimers were first synthesized in laboratories of Tomalia, Newkome, and Vogtle (Fischer and Vogtle, 1999; Hawker and Frechet, 1990; Newkome et al., 1986; Tomalia, 1995, 1996). They are globular in shape with topological structure formed by monomeric subunit branches diverging on all sides from the central nucleus (Semchikov, 1998). The following features can be distinguished in dendrimers: (i) multivalent surfaces containing numerous potentially active sites, (ii) envelopes surrounding the nucleus, and (iii) nuclei with attached dendrons.
